Burwell Nominated to Replace Sebelius at HHS

President Barack Obama moved quickly today to nominate a replacement for Kathleen Sebelius, who announced her resignation as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday, by nominating Office of Management and Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell for the post.

The Sebelius announcement came about 6 months after the flawed rollout of HealthCare.gov, the federal insurance marketplace intended to serve uninsured Americans. Although problems were fixed and the program met its goal of getting 7 million signups by March 31, Sebelius weathered harsh criticism for the initial problems.

Burwell has been involved in the federal government since the Clinton administration, having served as chief of staff to former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Before taking the OMB job, she ran the Walmart Foundation and served as president of the Gates Foundation's Global Development Program. She received unanimous consent from the Senate for her appointment to OMB.